Caption: Inguinal hernia. 11 year old boy suffering from a hernia in the inguinal or groin area. A hernia (or rupture, at right) is the protrusion of an organ or tissue out through the wall of the body cavity in which it normally lies. An inguinal hernia occurs when a sac of peritoneum containing part of the bowel bulges through the lower abdominal wall. This type of hernia is most common in men, where the bowel pushes through the inguinal canal. This is an opening connecting the abdominal cavity with the scrotum through which the testes descend. An inguinal hernia may result from physical straining or even from coughing. Surgery is the preferred treatment for the majority of hernias.